Mop

ABSTRACT

A mop ( 1 ) having a handle ( 3 ) and a mop head ( 5 ) which is attached to the handle. An edge of the mop head has two parts ( 9, 11 ) that are angled relative to one another at less than 180 degrees. At least part of the mop head may be V-shaped. The mop head ( 5 ) may have a pad ( 22 ) of material intended, in use, to be brought into contact with the surface to be cleaned.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mop.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Many types of mops have been developed for cleaning surfaces.Conventional mops typically comprise a longitudinal handle to the end ofwhich is attached a mop head. Mop heads can take many forms hut onecommonplace mop bead comprises a rectangular plate to which a sponge isattached. The plate is normally designed to fold across its width inorder to squeeze and rinse the attached sponge. A problem with such mopheads is that they can sometimes be difficult to press and squeeze thesponge.

Alternative mop heads have been proposed. One such mop head is disclosedin EP1208788 which describes a mop having two mop plates and a mop pad.The mop plates are fastened to a handle and connected with theinterposition of a doable joint. The mop plates can be pressed againstone another by press arms which are arranged on a sliding sleeve, withthe handle being pivotally fastened to the double joint and with thesliding sleeve being mounted on the handle. The press arms areintegrally formed on the handle and can be placed in engagement with themop plates. The handle is fastened to the double joint by means of acardan joint and guide devices are provided on the mop plates and/or thepress arms for defined folding of the mop plates by means of the pressarms.

A problem with ad of these embodiments is that they can be difficult tomanoeuvre over the surface intended to be cleaned. It is an object ofthe present invention to provide a mop with enhanced squeezingproperties, improved manoeuvrability and an improved ability to collectdirt and other unwanted debris.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mopcomprising a handle and a mop head which is attached to the handle,wherein an edge of the mop head comprises two parts that are angledrelative to one another at less than 180 degrees.

Advantageously, the angled relationship between the two parts of theedge means that debris and dirt are preferentially collected between thetwo parts. The angled relationship between the two pads of the edge alsomakes the mop more stable in a forward mopping stroke and less likely totip forward, for example, when used on a rough surface.

At least part of the mop head may be V-shaped. The mop head may comprisea pad of material intended, in use, to be brought into contact with asurface to be cleaned. As edge of the pad may comprise two parts thatare angled relative to one another at less than 180 degrees.

The mop head may comprise two or more supports that are foldablerelative to one another and that are retainable in a substantially fixedposition. The pad may be attached to the supports. The pad may beattached to the supports by two clips which each extend along respectiveplanes and wherein the clips are releasable by urging the clips towardthe plane along which the other clip extends. Folding of the supportsmay cause the pad to fold.

The mop head may be arranged to fold along a line of approximatesymmetry. The line of approximate symmetry may be between the two parts.

The mop may further comprise one or more formations extending from thehandle and arranged to define a space into which the folded mop head maybe drawn. The space may be sufficiently small sock that at least a partof the mop head is brought into contact with the or each formation whenthe mop head is drawn into the space so that the folded parts are urgedtogether. The mop head and the or each formation may comprise mutuallycooperating elements that guide the mop head into the space.

The mop head may be arranged to tilt relative to the handle so that thetwo parts of the edge of the mop head can be arranged in the foldedstate to be substantially parallel to the handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood an embodimentthereof with now be described, by way of example only, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mop according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the mop shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the mop shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the mop shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the mop head and a part of thehandle of the mop shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the mop head shown in FIG. 5 when ina squeezed state;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the mop shown in FIG. 1 when part ofthe mop head is detached from another part;

FIG. 8 is a front view of an alternative mop according to the inventionin a flexed state;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the mop shown is FIG. 8 when in a differentflexed state; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of an alternative mop according to theinvention when part of the mop head is detached from another part.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, there is shown a mop 1 comprising alongitudinal handle 3 made from plastics material and a mop head 5 whichis pivotally attached to an end of the handle 3.

The mop head 5 comprises a central body 7 and two arms 9, 11 which arehingedly attached to the body 7 on opposite sides respectively of thebody 7. The arms 9, 11 are arranged to hinge between a first position inwhich they extend along substantially the same plane and a secondposition in which they hang downwardly from the body 7 and are adjacentone another and substantially parallel. Both the body 7 and arms 9, 11comprise cooperating, interfacing surfaces that urge against one anotherwhen the arms 9, 11 are arranged to extend out from the body such thatthey are substantially perpendicular to the handle 3. In this state, thebody 7 and arms urge against one another such that the anus 9, 11 aremaintained in the first position. The arms 9, 11 can be moved to thesecond position by hinging the arms 9, 11 downwardly so that they movebeyond the point at which the cooperating surfaces interface and fallfreely away from the body 7.

The arms 9, 11 are substantially longitudinal and taper toward theirremote ends 7. The two arms 9, 11 are shaped such that they extend awayfrom the body 7 at an angle relative to one another when arranged in thefirst position. In this embodiment, the arms are arranged such that, onone common side, the angle therebetween in the first position isapproximately 160 degrees. This leading edge of the mop head 5 isintended to collect water and debris when the mop is in use. Since theopposite sides of the respective arms are substantially parallel, theobtuse angle therebetween in the first position is approximately 200degrees. Thus, the arms in the first position form a chevron or ‘V’shape.

The arms 9, 11 are arranged to be attached to a cleaning pad carrier 19which comprises two substantially flat moulded plastic pieces 21 thatmay be affixed to the upper surface of a cleaning pad 22. Each piece 21is shaped similarly to the upper surface of an end of the cleaning pad22 so that, when the pieces 21 are affixed to the upper surface ofrespective ends of the cleaning pad 22, they substantially cover theupper end surfaces. In this embodiment, the pieces are affixed to thecleaning pad 22 with glue and the cleaning pad itself comprises a spongepad. Other cleaning pad materials are envisaged including microfibrefoam pads.

Each piece 21 of the earner 19 comprises an abutment 17 that extendsfrom the upper face of the remote ends of each piece when affixed to thepad 22. The abutments 17 are arranged to engage with outwardly facingU-shaped groove 13 that are formed at the remote end of each arm 9, 11.A short flat projection 15 is provided on the inside of each groove 13.The U-shaped grooves 13 and the projections 15 help to guide the arms 9,11 into the two abutments 17 that are shaped to receive the projectionsand hold the arms in place on the carrier 19 under tension. The combinedcleaning pad 22 and carrier 19 forms a cleaning head that has a similarchevron shape to the arms 9, 11 when they are arranged in the firstposition so that the arms 9, 11, carrier 19 and pad can be attachedtogether to form a mop head 5 with a leading edge that has two partsthat are offset relative to one another by an angle less than 180degrees. The mop head may be folded together by moving the arms 9, 11from the first position to the second position thereby folding thecarrier 19 and squeezing the sponge pad against itself. Since the arms9, 11 and carrier 19 in combination are substantially symmetrical abouta substantially central axis, one half of the sponge substantially meetsthe other half in the folded state.

The arms 9, 11 are held securely in place against the carrier 19 by twoclips 23 that extend upwardly from the upper face of the carrier pieces21. The two clips 23 are shaped and positioned to be inserted into twocorresponding holes on the arms 9, 11. One hole is on one arm 9 and theother hole is on the other arm 11. The holes are positioned such whenthe arms 9, 11 are set in the first position, they are aligned with theclips 23 on the carrier pieces 21. The clips 23 are arranged to face oneanother and to flex toward one another so that they can be released fromengagement with the holes by drawing the clips in a direction toward oneanother. This permits the arms 9, 11 and carrier 19 to be disengagedthorn one another by pinching the two clips 23 toward one another in asingle action with one hand.

The mop 1 further comprises a squeeze head 24 which is arranged tointeract with the mop head 5 to squeeze the two portions of the mop head5 together and, thus, squeeze the sponge dry. The squeeze head 24comprises a tubular portion 29 through which the mop handle 3, which isapproximately three times longer then the tabular portion 29, extendsand may slide. A pair of squeeze plates 25, 27 extends downwardly froman end of the tubular member 29 toward the mop head 5 in a directionwhich is substantially parallel to the tubular member 29 and handle 3.The squeeze plates 25, 27 and tubular member 29 are formed from separatemouldings that fit together to form the squeeze head 24. The squeezeplates are arranged to face one another and form a space into which themop head can be drawn.

The inner face of each squeeze plate 25, 27 comprises a groove 35 thatextends along the length of each squeeze plate 25, 27 and in-line withthe handle 3 of the mop. Each groove has a wide mouth 37 relative to thegroove 35 toward the free end of the respective squeeze plates 25, 27 sothat cooperating elements on the mop head 5 can be guided into thegrooves 35. The distance between the two plates or prongs 25, 27 ischosen to be sufficient to enable the folded mop head 5 to be receivedinto the space therebetween but narrow enough to ensure the arms 9, 11are squeezed toward one another so that the sponge attached thereto isalso squeezed.

The arms 9, 11 each further comprise a guide and 31, 33 that ispositioned toward the arm hinge and that extends substantiallyperpendicularly from the upper surface of each arm 9, 11. The guidestuds 31, 33 are positioned on the arms 9, 11 so that, when the mop head5 is in the second position (collapsed state) and hanging below thesqueeze head 24, the guide studs 31, 33 line up with the grooves 35 onthe adjacent squeeze plates 25, 27 of the squeeze head 24. Thus, theguide studs 31, 33 help to correctly position the mop head 5 between thesqueeze plates 25, 27 so that the sponge is efficiently squeezed.

The map handle 3 and mop bead 5 are hingedly connected by a pivot joint37 that enables the mop bead to rotate about a single axle at the end ofthe handle 3. The connection is positioned toward a part of the mop headbody 7 that is remote from the leading edge of the mop head 5. Thisensures that any force applied to the mop head 5 through the handle 3 isdirected toward the rear of the mop head 5 thereby making it easier todrive the mop in a forward direction without the mop head tilting awayfrom the surface to be cleaned. The joint 37 is arranged so that the mophead 5 can tilt back when in the collapsed state and permitted to hangbelow the handle 3 and squeeze head 24. This ensures that the mop headbecomes aligned with the handle 3 and squeeze head 24 so that the mopbead 5 can be drawn upwards between the two squeeze plates 25, 27 asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In use, the arms 9, 11 are urged into the fixed position in which theyare held in place by their engagement with the body 7. In this position,the arms 9, 11 define a surface to which the carrier 19 may be attached.The carrier 19 is attached to the surface defined by the arms 9, 11 byurging the clips on the carrier 19 into the corresponding holes in thearms 9, 11. The mop 1 is arranged such that when the carrier 19 isattached to the arms 9, 11 the two angled parts of the mop head 5 definethe leading edge of the mop 1 i.e. the direction in which the mop 1 isintended to be urged by a user.

The mop head 5 is wetted with water and any desired cleaning solutionand the mop 1 is drawn across a surface to be cleaned. Due to the angledrelationship between the two parts of the mop head 5, water, dirt anddebris is preferentially urged into the space between the two parts.When the sponge needs wringing and cleaning, the user grasps the tubularmember 29 with one hand and pulls the handle 3 in an upwards directionthrough the tubular member 29. This upward motion brings the mop head 5toward the squeeze plates 25, 27 until the arms 9, 11 are brought intocontact with the squeeze plates 25, 27. The continued motion of thehandle 3 relative to the squeeze head 24 causes the squeeze plates tourge against the arms 9, 11 and force them from their retained positioninto the folded position. The handle 3 is then pulled further throughthe tubular member to draw the folded mop head 5 into the space definedby the squeeze plates 25, 27. The mutually cooperating studs 31, 33 onthe mop head and grooves/mouth 35, 36 on the squeeze plates 25, 27 guidethe mop head 5 into position between the squeeze plates. Due to thetilting action between the mop head 5 and the handle 3, the two parts ofthe mop head 5 in the folded state are substantially parallel to thehandle 3. As the mop head 5 is drawn into the space, the squeeze plates25, 27 act on the arms 9, 11 and urge them together which causes thesponge 22 attached thereto to be squeezed against itself.

When the sponge 22 is sufficiently dry and clean, the handle is urged ina downward direction which urges the mop head 5 out from the space sothat the arms 9, 11 can be manually returned to their retained positionso that further cleaning can take place.

In an alternative embodiment, the manoeuvrability of the mop 101 isfurther enhanced by the addition of a rubber universal joint 150 betweenthe pivot joint 137 and the mop handle 103. The rubber universal joint150 has an hourglass shape with a narrow centre or waist relative to itstwo ends. The narrow centre is more flexible than the ends of the jointwhich enables the joint to be flexed about its centre. Thus, when thehandle 103 and mop head 105 are attached to respective ends of therubber joint 150, the handle 103 can be manipulated through all 360degrees of movement relative to the mop bead 105. Therefore, in thisembodiment, the mop 101 can be more easily manoeuvred around the surfaceto be cleaned than the first embodiment.

In a further alternative embodiment, part of which is shown in FIG. 10,the cleaning pad carrier 119 is integrally formed with the arms 109, 111of the mop head 105 in a single piece moulding. The cleaning pad 122 isaffixed to the underside of the mop head 105 via Velcro® hooks.

The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Manyvariations are possible without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

1. A mop comprising a handle and a mop head which is attached to thehandle, wherein an edge of the mop head comprises two parts that areangled relative to one another at less than 180°.
 2. A mop as claimed inclaim 2, wherein at least part of the mop head is V-shaped.
 3. A mop asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the mop head comprises a pad of materialintended, in use, to be brought into contact with a surface to becleaned.
 4. A mop as claimed in claim 3, wherein an edge of the padcomprises two parts that are angled relative to one another at less than180°.
 5. A mop as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mop head comprises twoor more supports that are foldable relative to one another and that areretainable in a substantially fixed position.
 6. A mop as claimed inclaim 3, wherein the pad is attached to the supports.
 7. A mop asclaimed in claim 6, wherein the pad is attached to the supports by twoclips which each extend along respective planes and wherein the clipsare releasable by urging the clips toward the plane along which theother clip extends.
 8. A mop as claimed in claim 5, wherein folding ofthe supports causes the pad to fold.
 9. A mop as claimed in claim 1,wherein the mop head is arranged to fold along a line of approximatesymmetry.
 10. A mop as claimed in claim 9, wherein the line ofapproximate symmetry is between two parts.
 11. A mop as claimed in claim9, further comprising one or more formations extending from the handleand arranged to define a space into which the folded mop head may bedrawn.
 12. A mop as claimed in claim 11, wherein the space issufficiently small such that at least a part of the mop head is broughtinto contact with the or each formation when the mop head is drawn intothe space so that the folded parts are urged together.
 13. A mop asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the mop head and the or each formationcomprise mutually cooperating elements that guide the mop head into thespace.
 14. A mop as claimed in claim 11, wherein the mop head isarranged to tilt relative to the handle so that the two parts of theedge of the mop head can be arranged in the folded state to besubstantially parallel to the handle.
 15. A mop as claimed in claim 15,wherein the pivot joint comprises a rubber joint.